What's for Dinner?
A food rut. That is a perpetual state I am in. When asked the question, "What's for Dinner?", a feeling of listlessness laced with a bit of annoyance comes over me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to eat, I even like cooking some days, but I do not like to plan meals.
Envious of my friends that tell me they whipped up a dinner of mushroom and spinach stuff flank steak with a side of mashed potatoes and fresh fruit (on a Monday night no less), I have analyzed why I feel the way I do about dinner:
1. I have three kids. One's diet consists of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with an occasional waffle or chicken nugget thrown in. Any time I suggest and offer to feed her something else, her nose turns up in disgust and I get the how-dare-you-even-ask-me-that-question glare. One will eat most things but seems to be highly influenced by my picky eater and will give me the same look if I suggest she eats the same thing everyone else is eating. My third child is one. He's just beginning to eat food so anything I make usually ends up on his shirt, in his hair, and covering the floor.
2. When I ask my husband what he'd like to eat, his typical response is, "I don't care. I'll eat whatever". Some people might appreciate this response, I do not. That leaves me to figure out what to eat, compile the grocery list, do the shopping, and prepare the meal because he's really indifferent about the whole thing.
3. I am a working mom of three. By the time I get home each night I am tired and the last thing on my mind is whipping up a meal that, if I'm lucky, three people in my family will eat.
So now you can see why I generally loathe the question, "What's for Dinner?". Maybe one day the tides will change and I will be that mom that makes pecan crusted salmon on a Tuesday night. But for now, I'll be here in my rut, eating boxed macaroni and cheese.
I can so relate to this post! I hate that question too. I know that if don't present something to the family, cereal will be their go-to. Mom-guilt still reigns supreme.
ReplyDeleteThis is me too...which is why I make my husband do the deciding and the cooking. My kids are also the same! They would eat mac and cheese every night if we let them. :) Thanks for sharing and know that I am right there with you!
ReplyDeleteI thought I was in a food rut, so I signed up for Blue Apron. I discovered my husband prefers my food choices and the less expensive provisions.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, the inevitable food rut that is for a mom one of the purest evils out there because there is nothing we would like more than a beautiful home cooked meal. Now that my kids are older it is much easier. I'll offer you that. When they were little it was harder, the pickiness you described, and the indifferent husband. At the time I kind of just wanted my mom to come make me dinner. Ha! Omelettes are always a nice option. They can be fancy or just plain old scrambled eggs. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm the indifferent one in our family (no kids, though, so makes it much easier). My husband always has an opinion and it's always fast food. Yuck. So I signed up for Hello Fresh. I pick three meals from seven choices and they send all the ingredients and a recipe. I actually found that chopping and cooking relaxed me after a long day if I didn't have to decide and shop. BUT, not sure that would go by a picky eater.
ReplyDeleteI agree that deciding what to eat is probably the hardest part of making dinner. In our house we had vegetarians, devout carnivores, and a low-fat pescetarian (no cheese!). It was always a struggle. When the kids got older, I finally decided to make what I felt like making and invite everyone to have some or make something for themselves. Of course, with younger kids that doesn't work so well. Buttered noodles, broccoli and a serving of cantaloupe was a standby for my younger kids. Now that they're out of the nest, I typically make a big batch of what I want and eat it all week long. Boring, but it solves the "What's for dinner?" problem. Good luck!
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